Cultural Council Agenda and Packet 2022 02 10

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purchased and donated artwork is under the care of the Louisville Cultural Council. A desire was expressed to create a formalized public art program or a policy. This notion is supported by Louisville's Downtown Framework Plan (adopted March 2, 1999) and the City's Comprehensive Plan (2013), both of which refer to the use of the arts as means of creating unique expression and engaging the public in civic dialogue. A public art policy proposal was created in 2013 by Loveland -based consultant John Kinkade, but has not been adopted by the City [Appendix 6]. Louisville also encourages the placement of private artwork in public settings as a compliment to officially City -owned public art. In 2016, the Louisville Art District worked to install two such pieces: murals located in the alleyway between Main Street and Front Streets. This successful collaboration was seen by public as a model for expanding public/private collaboration in the arts in Louisville. Marketing Respondents to community surveys cited lack information about events as the main issue preventing them for attending events in Louisville. Artists and arts organizations also consistently noted issues with marketing events both with regards to available marketing options and the cost of those activities. Currently, there is not a single, comprehensive source of arts information for Louisville. Organizations promote their programs independently most utilizing posters, press releases, website postings and social media. Marketing is primarily focused within Louisville; however a more regional approach may be warranted as organizations seek to expand their audience reach. Print press coverage offers intense competition as the Colorado Hometown Weekly has limited space and submissions to The Daily Camera compete with all of Boulder County. Paid advertising is used but is prohibitively expensive for many organizations. The City of Louisville website is updated with local marketing materials and limited space is available in the quarterly community newsletter. The growth of social media poses new opportunities, but local artists and organizations have an expressed a desire for more education in how to best utilize this new media. Prnfessin"al nevelonme"t Louisville does not currently support a high percentage of full-time artists or organizations with paid staff. 76% of Artist Survey respondents were part-time artists making less than 20% of their income through art sales. Arts organizations were overwhelmingly volunteer -driven, pouring all earned income into their events and activities. Despite operating on small budgets, artists and organizations expressed concern about the inability for earned income to keep up with the rising financial demands on artists and arts organizations. Marketing and facility fees were noted as top contributors to the rising costs. Also noted was the high number of creative organizations in Boulder County competing for limited SCFD grant funding. Professional development is needed to help local artists continue to live and create art in Louisville and to enable arts organizations to thrive artistically and financially. In order to keep up with costs, additional training and professional development is needed for local artists and arts and cultural organizations in areas including: marketing and outreach, grant writing and business planning. Visual W